Related Content

Former Major Leaguer Phil Plantier was named the interim manager of the Padres' affiliate at Lake Elsinore on Thursday.

Plantier, who began the season as the Class A Advanced Storm's hitting coach, takes over for the franchise's all-time winningest manager and reigning California League Manager of the Year, Carlos Lezcano, a veteran skipper who resigned the same day due to family reasons.

Plantier was a career .243 hitter over eight seasons in the Major Leagues from 1990-'97 with the Boston Red Sox, San Diego Padres, Houston Astros, Oakland Athletics and St. Louis Cardinals.

He previously worked as a hitting coordinator, hitting coach and manager within the Seattle Mariners organization, most recently at Double-A West Tenn.

Lezcano was in his 19th season as a Minor League manager and his fifth with Lake Elsinore. He remains 43 wins shy of 1,000 career Minor League victories after having led the Storm to four straight playoff appearances, including a run to the California League Finals in 2007.

"The last five years in Lake Elsinore have been the best five years of my managerial career," said Lezcano, the 2010 California League Manager of the Year. "I would like to thank all of the fans and especially the Storm organization for making my stay a memorable one."

Danny Wild is an editor for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of the National Association of Professional Baseball Leagues or its clubs.